prisoner in flight
by starlee
Summary: sokai;-- beauty skin deep.


… why hello there, good readers.  
so this is a perfectly random and… rather pointless oneshot.  
but that's what it's all about, right?  
Mind you, might become a part of some other story I have planned…  
Not that I usually get around to completing my stories.  
I blame lack of inspiration and REVIEWS!  
And that's _lack of _both, good readers.  
Not that you're here to listen to me wallow in self pity.

**disclaimer**: _Harold and His Purple Crayon_ I saw in a book called _Ruby Red_… can't remember the author, but it wasn't me.  
of course, Kingdom Hearts belongs to Nomura blah blah blah…

**SO**_KAI_.  
owns.  
(sorry – had to be said.)

---------------------------------------------------------------**&  
****prisoner in flight.  
****&**---------------------------------------------------------------  
what must it be like? to spread your wings and fly…

She kinda figured it would be useless to try and find him in such a tide of students.

Another day. At school. Not that she can really say the last fact pleased her.

At least it had been options day, though. The day when, well, they did their options. The subjects they chose to do along with the essentials like Maths and English and Science and all of the kinds of things that bored-you-to-death – I mean, were utterly fascinating.

In Kairi's case, it was Music, Photography and French. She wonders why she chose the last. Sad to say, she sorely regretted it.

But French was last period. And Kairi was in a very unhappy mood. Reasons why Kairi was in a very unhappy mood? French was last. With McCoy. And Selphie – not that Kairi didn't love the girl to death (as a friend, of course…), but even Kairi gets a little annoyed when she is forced to spend two hours in a stuffy classroom with a chatty hyper hopeless-romantic and sometimes irritating girl and an even more irritating teacher who just really ticked her off and had such a huge fake smile it was almost pitiful.

Learning a subject that she had just about given up on.

Oh, and there was also the minor fact that _he _was off. Sick. With a sore throat and a cough and a bad chest.

Apparently.

Not that Kairi had any solid proof.

But that was what she was looking for.

Which brings us quite smoothly in a nice round full circle. If I do say so myself.

And it was one of those days that Kairi realised how many frickin' blondes there actually were on this damn sunny island. Because whenever she thought she'd found just who she was looking for, lo and behold, just another guy that's just been scared shitless by a pouncing mass of shrieking red and white and blue.

Not that such a situation doesn't appeal to most of the hormonal teenage male variety – screw that, just the male variety in general – once they work out that the pouncing monster is actually quite the attractive female.

Sadly, Kairi has already moved on before they stop freaking enough to notice her lovely cherry locks and big violet eyes and petalsoft full lips. Or perhaps that's a good thing.

_Anyway_…

So there she was, fighting fruitlessly against the roaring current. Calling for the person she was searching for –

And eventually smacking right into him.

"Tidus!" Kairi said, breathlessly, grabbing his arm in a vice like grip to make sure they weren't separated.

"'eya, Kai," Tidus grinned. Shouldering his bag again. "'Sup?"

"Is, uh, Riku playing Blitzball again? I just kinda needa know… yeah…"

"Sure he is, Kai," He seemed rather confused. "Made the team, dinnee?"

Curiously enough, Kairi groaned. "Figures. Just how many teams is he on now?"

Tidus shrugged. "Beats me," he said, nonchalantly. And then glanced over his shoulder at the sound of his name coming from behind. He looked back at Kairi with a rather apologetic lopsided smile. She sighed.

"I know, I know," She released him, shoving him towards where the voice saying his name originated. "Have fun."

"Will do, Kai!" He laughed, cheerfully, _gratefully?_, before bounding away.

She shrugged it off, allowing the flow to carry her out the school gates. She didn't _really _have a choice in the matter.

"Kai_ri_!" A familiar voice. Kairi could have quite happily murdered herself when she saw a certain chocolate haired, forest eyed girl skip over to her.

"Wat'choo doooooin'?" Selphie chirped happily, slinging an arm across her agitated companion's shoulders. Not that Selphie noticed that Kairi was agitated. Girl had selective sight, it seemed.

"Going to see Sora," Kairi mumbled. Wriggling out from under Selphie's arm, who in turn raised her eyebrows at the redhead.

"Ooooooh?" Selphie drawled, a wicked -in the evil sense of the word- grin stretching her lips so wide it looked… painful.

"Yes," Said Kairi simply, and began to walk away, yelling over her shoulder; "Toodles, Selph."

"Yeah, whatever."

And Selphie very dutifully left to observe her love interests Blitzball match.

-**&**-

Kairi had been hoping to speak to Riku, actually. She hadn't seen him all day either, and really, going a day without her two boys really isn't something Kairi likes to do.

But, sure enough, the silver -old man- haired boy _had _to have practice on the same day Sora fell ill.

It was just her luck, it seems. Kairi didn't get very much of it. That that kind of thing should happen. And, naturally, she blamed Riku. After all, Sora didn't _choose _to fall ill, did he? Unless it was a ruse… and, frankly, _sadly_, Kairi could imagine that as probably true.

You see, it appeared that Sora was trying to avoid school as much as humanely possible. Since he came back to her… it was sad to realise that he really couldn't come school. It just didn't seem _right _to him, he'd told her that. It was too _strange. _The stares, the rumours, the girls, the sympathy, not being able to sit still… She'd been pleased when Wakka had texted (even managing to sound surprised in text) to assure her he was in today, _again_. And what does the lad do?

Goes home at break. Before Kairi had even had a _chance_ to see him.

It was Taku who told her. Saying that Sora was complaining of the afore-mentioned symptoms (a cough and a sore throat and a bad chest), that he quite believed the blue eyed boy was sincerely ill this time.

But Kairi had her doubts.

Not that it changed anything, of course. She could believe him whole heartedly. Either way, she was going to the lazy bum's house _straight_ after school.

-**&**-

And she had to admit it.

She _really _hadn't been expecting to find what she did.

So there Kairi was. Sauntering along. Starting to feel quite calm. Looking forward to at least seeing one of her two most favourite people in the world, _finally_. Gazing at the blue blue sky, and then –

That's when she saw Sora.

…Sitting on his roof.

In baggy sweats that seemed _waaay _too big for him.

… _drawing_…?

Kairi cocked her head to the side.

"… The hell?" She muttered. She meandered closer, never taking her eyes off him. Watching as he frowned and seemed to erase something and… smiling.

Because he was just adorable like that, and she quite honestly couldn't just _not _smile.

Door unlocked. Of course. So she went through and into the hall, up the stairs, into his room, over to the open window…

"_Sora_!" She called out cheerfully.

She heard a mildly interesting sounding thud, a muttered curse, and a clatter that sounded incredibly like a load of pencils had just fallen from a roof.

…Which she supposed they just had.

"Chrissake, Kairi!"

If she lent forwards enough and turned her head, she could see him. And he caught her deep violet gaze with his own bright cobalt, leaning over with what she thought was meant to be a furious expression on his russet features. But he was too surprised for that, and shocked-banking-on-angry just looked too comical.

So she laughed.

And he huffed.

"… You just destroyed my best pencils," He mumbled.

"And you're upset because…?"

Since when did Sora draw _willingly_?

She pulled herself onto the windowsill. Balancing there, she grabbed the edge of the roof and, after a quick scan and test, inserted her foot into a rather handy dent in the wall, hauling herself up.

"Kairi, you shouldn't…" Sora began to protest feebly. But kinda stopped when he saw and heard said girl slip, her head plummeting too abruptly to be entirely safe.

He threw himself across the roof, reaching down quickly. He found himself with a handful of cotton shirt. Looking down, he tried to assure his freaking brain and pounding heart that it was just a handful of the shirt on her _back_. God help him if it had been the front…

"… I'm okay!" She said, eventually. Pause. "Um… Sora? A lil'…"

"Help?" After the general fear and the rush of adrenaline, the situation had apparently become … _quite _humorous to him.

"It's not funny," She mumbled, embarrassed and indignant and trying to hold onto her dignity. Even though her face felt slightly on the warm side. And it wasn't the weather, either. Kairi knew that there was a blush creeping up her neck and brushing her cheeks a radiant rose, and she was _not _happy about it. He just snorted. Pulling her up almost a bit too easily, considering those still scrawnier than normal arms.

Sora retreated to his previous position once she was safely onboard. Picking up his pad and one of the few remaining pencils, he grumbled. Kairi crawled over to him tentatively, bringing her legs up from under her once she was at his side; she wrapped her arms around them and rested her cheek on her knees. Watching his face, almost with fascination as he glanced at her, irked, holding up a pencil.

"See? Best one I have now." She had to agree, it didn't look very… well, _useable. _Or very sharp."Won't sharpen any better," He wasn't best pleased, it seemed.

She merely stared back at him as if he was a mildly interesting TV programme.

Sora blinked. Cleared his throat. Finally resorted himself to waving a hand before her face.

"Er, Ree? The Islands called, they want their _idiot _back."

She flared up at that. "_I'm _the idiot?"

"You're the one that just nearly killed yourself."

"And you're the one who put the idea into my head in the first place!"

"Did I tell you to come up here?"

"Well, _you _were up here. So if I was going to talk to you, I'd have to come up too!"

"Could have asked me to come down," He pointed out, calmly.

"Yeah, well… your mum!" Kairi retorted.

"… What about my mum?"

Kairi grinned rather evilly. "She's fit, innit."

Sora stared at her. Very cautiously, he placed the palm of his hand against her forehead. Kairi jerked away, understanding the gesture, and not appreciating it one bit.

"… I think you've been hanging around Selphie too much, Ree," He smiled at her almost pityingly, and then chuckled. The sound caressed her eardrums like a sweet melody.

"It happens when your best friends bugger off for a year and half."

Silence. Kairi's heart froze when she realised what she'd just said. She reckons she managed to call herself every name she could possibly think of. She was grateful that she was looking ahead, and therefore couldn't see the expression on his face, because if she did, she quite honestly didn't know what she'd do and _please please could the groundjustopenupandswallowme-_

"… I guess it does," He finally replied quietly. Flatly. Her head whipped round, shock evident on her pale features.

"I…" She didn't know what do say. He was _smiling_. Albeit just a little bit. Crooked. …_Sad_. There we go, it was a _sad _smile. Now _that _made sense.

… Crap.

She reached out timidly as her legs lowered a little, brushing the pad of a delicate finger on the back of his large hand. He looked at her, his eyes brooding and… confused?

"I'm sorry," She whispered, for want of anything else better to say. He tried to smile again, but the end result was rather pathetic.

"Nah," He murmured. "You're right, Kairi. I guess you _would _hang out with Selph more if we're not around. Perhaps not willingly, mind you." He grinned then. "And… I'm sorry too. I've _told _you, Ree. I was asleep and…"

"Lazy bum," She said, softly. Still drawing randomly on his smooth skin. He smiled, his eyelids lowering just a fraction as Kairi traced circles on his arm, having pushed the sleeve up rather subtly. She felt nice and warm and fuzzy inside as she returned the gesture, petalsoft pink lips quirking up at the corners. She noticed the outside of his eyelids were slightly purple, and wondered if that was just him or was everyone. Not that she bothered to look _that _closely on anyone else. Except maybe Riku. Yeah, she'll check with him. The purple didn't really look… right.

"I still don't know how though," He mused to himself, almost silently. Picking up the pencil almost idly, he attempted to continue his drawing again. Lest he had anymore distractions. Kairi raised her fragile and almost-see-through hand to rest it on his back, gripping his shoulder from behind. Just because he was now moving his arm around didn't mean she was going to let go of him. He gave her a funny look.

"_Whaaaaaat_?" She drawled, grinning as she pulled him down towards her, tilting him and bringing his face so close to hers it was all she could see. But as her stomach writhed with butterflies – or moths or just flies? – she kept herself in control on the outside, still smiling a rather evil smile. "Can't a girl touch her best friend's shoulder?"

She observed, slightly fascinated, as he reddened considerably, until her hair had finally found a decent rival. Her smile softened at his wide eyes.

"… It's adorable when you blush," She told him simply. She poked his nose.

He blinked quickly. "Uh… um…"

Kairi giggled.

"I'm trying to d-draw here, Ree!"

She pouted at first, but then her eyes brightened immensely. Suddenly she was curious.

"Oooooh! I wanna see!" She said. Releasing him and diving for the pad.

"Wait! It's-"

Too late.

Kairi stopped; pad in hand, in silent awe of what he'd done. Well, it was good for _his _standard anyway. Sometimes she had trouble deciphering the stickman from the elephant. It would explain why he didn't draw so much. _Willingly_, she might add.

But this, he was actually _serious _about this one.

On the bottom left it showed the back of the head and shoulders of a young boy, at an angle, so you could slightly see his face, which was turned upwards. Skin dark, hair black and eyes that were so dark they were _almost_ black. He was scruffy, and of what material you could see clinging to him, was dirty and torn.

A sleeveless, scrawny arm reached up, a purple crayon clutched within the fingers.

On the bottom right was a red roof, with some of the white walls that held it up were shown. _A bit like our roofs_, Kairi noted. And in the distance, she noticed more roofs. In a blue sky that was almost cloudless, a single seagull flew.

Kairi stared. And Sora gently prised the pad away, which she relented subconsciously, not quite with it.

When she recovered she looked at him, wide eyed and…

… Suddenly seeing him in a new light.

"Sora?" She said, softly. Watching as he sat there, cross legged, staring down at his own creation.

"… Yesterday," He began, eventually. And she crawled up to him again, her eyes never leaving his face. "We ate on the school roof, remember?"

Now beside him, she nodded dumbly. Sure, she remembered. She, Sora, Riku, Tidus and Selphie had wanted somewhere different to eat. So they went on the roof. Simple. And it _had _been fun. One of the few days she saw him in school. Different in more than one way. It was also exhilarating to break school rules, even more so when they weren't caught. Kairi had felt breathless and so _alive_ she recalled that she couldn't sit still at all in Maths.

She also remembered another moment. One that caught her heart and brightened her day. Nothing much _happened_, really. Sora had just come up behind her, wrapped an arm around her neck, resting his forehead against her shoulder. She knew he was recovering from the excitement of eating on the roof, but even so, his quiet laughter at himself, the way he squeezed slightly before he let go… something about it made the moment almost delicate to her.

His voice brought her back, then, as he continued.

"While we were on the roof… I looked up and saw that single seagull, and I just thought… that seagull is _free_. What must it be like, to spread your wings and fly up high? And then I remembered an old story I read. _Harold and His Purple Crayon_ or something along those lines. With the Purple Crayon, Harold could draw himself any reality he wanted, anything he wanted, he could make anything happen… and I just, got inspired, I suppose…"

"So this boy is Harold?" Kairi asked, gesturing to the small child in the picture. Sora smiled crookedly.

"It's _supposed _to be Harold, but then, I'm not exactly an awesome artist, huh?"

Even so, the picture was a tear-jerking thing, Kairi decided. Especially once you knew the story behind it.

"So he's drawing a seagull…?"

"A seagull that's free, Ree. A seagull that can fly away from its problems, its worries… A seagull that can lose itself, that doesn't _need _to return. And he wishes to do the same."

"What's it called?" She asked Sora, tilting her head to the side and smiling gently at him. He looked down at the drawing.

**&**------------------------------------------------------------  
"… _**Prisoner In Flight**_**."  
**-------------------------------------------------------------**&  
**What must it be like? to have anything you want…

Yeah, I wish.  
would be awesome.  
So. Review? ;]

**onlylotte.**


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